Speaker John Boehner released a statement in response to Eric
Cantor's surprise primary loss in Virginia on Tuesday, and it
sounds like what you would hear at a funeral rather than a
post-election upset.

"Eric Cantor and I have been through a lot together," Boehner
said, in a written statement. "He's a good friend and a great
leader, and someone I've come to rely upon on a daily basis as we
make the tough choices that come with governing. My thoughts are
with him and Diana and their kids tonight."

Plenty picked up on the rather melancholy tone:

Boehner statement on Cantor loss sounds a bit like a statement
about a dead colleague. "My thoughts are with ..."

Cantor, the number two Republican in the House of
Representatives,
suffered a shocking defeat from a Tea Party challenger many
had considered a longshot. Challenger Dave Brat was outspent
5-to-1, and wasn't leading in the polls coming into primary day.

"This should be a wake-up call to GOP leadership," tweeted
Rep. Steve Stockman (R-Texas), a Tea Party-aligned Congressman.
"No one is safe if they abandon principle."